14Dec13

China condemns Abe for criticizing air defense zone

China has condemned Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for "maliciously
slandering" its air defense zone in an escalating war of words between the
neighbors.

Abe told a news conference on Saturday that China's recent announcement of
the air defense identification zone over disputed islands in the East China Sea
is "unjustly violating the freedom of aviation over the high seas" and
demanded Beijing rescind it.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei defended the zone, which has
triggered protests from Japan, the United States and South Korea.

"We express strong dissatisfaction with Japan's leader using an international
occasion to maliciously slander China," Hong said in a statement seen on the
ministry website on Sunday.

The islands are claimed by Beijing as the Diaoyus and by Tokyo as the
Senkakus.

"The Diaoyus are an inherent territory of China. Japan's seizure and
occupation of the islands are illegal and invalid," Hong said, adding that the
zone is in line with international laws and practices, and does not affect
aviation freedom.

"The Chinese side took necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and
territorial integrity. This is totally legitimate and irreproachable," the
spokesman said.

"Japan's attempt to play tricks with concept ... and mislead world opinion is
doomed to failure," he added.

China's air defense zone and its territorial claims in the South China Sea have
raised concerns that a minor incident in the disputed seas could quickly
escalate.

China and several ASEAN nations have competing territorial claims in the
energy-rich South China Sea.

Abe and leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
agreed at a summit in Tokyo on Saturday for the need for freedom of the high
seas and skies and called for the peaceful resolution of disputes.

The statement did not criticize China's air zone. Many ASEAN members have
deep economic ties with China.

Sino-Japanese tensions have risen over the past year in a long-running
dispute over the Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea. Both
countries have scrambled aircraft and conducted naval patrols in the area.

[Source: Reuters, Beijing, 14Dec13]

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